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July 2, 2023 marks the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Church’s Diocese of America. Read an English translation of the document that started it all.

Catholicos Mgrdich Khrimian (shown above, affectionately called “Khrimian Hayrig” by his people) issued the document in 1898. In it, the 125th Catholicos of All Armenians spoke directly to the “expatriate Armenians” of the New World.

The encyclical opens with the formal, somewhat archaic language associated with such documents. But after the first three paragraphs, Khrimian abandons the conventions of the form, and addresses his flock more personally, in the common Armenian dialect, as a father lending advice to his children. The effect is extremely touching, and the emotional impact was not lost on the homesick immigrants who listened attentively when the catholicos’s words were read aloud.

The content of the document speaks for itself. Some of its assertions (such as “a foreigner is always a stranger”) may sound outdated to the Armenian community of the 21st century, whose members have become happily integrated into the habits and customs of American life. Other admonitions (such as “Do not be dazzled by the glitter of … eloquent, free-minded speeches”) are more timely in today’s bombastic media age than they were a century and a quarter ago. But overall, Khrimian’s tone of bittersweet nostalgia can still strike the proper chord in the hearts of Armenians born and bred in the United States.

The text of the encyclical, translated from the original Armenian and edited for style and clarity, appears in its entirety below.

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THE ENCYCLICAL OF KHRIMIAN HAYRIG

The Founding Document of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America

MGRDICH, SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST,
AND BY THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE WILL OF GOD
CHIEF BISHOP AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS,
SUPREME PATRIARCH OF THE NATIONAL PRE-EMINENT SEE
OF THE ARARATIAN APOSTOLIC UNIVERSAL
MOTHER CHURCH OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN

Christ-given greetings, together with our patriarchal blessings to all of you, beloved Armenian expatriates.  You remain the children of our Holy Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, the Mother of light, though you are living in that New World, America, and her cities and suburbs of Worcester, New York, Boston, Lawrence, Providence, Fresno (California), Chicago, Philadelphia, as well as other cities and villages.  Salutations to all of you who believe in Our Lord Jesus Christ and the heaven-taught doctrine about Him.  Salutations to the reverend priests, honorable trustees, diligent merchants, hard-working artisans, farmers and tillers, virtuous ladies and faithful children-in-Christ of all ages.  Salutations to you all, from the occupant of the throne of the Holy Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, the first Enlighteners of the land of Armenia, and of our Holy father St. Gregory, her second Enlightener.

May grace, love, peace and the bountiful, heavenly mercy of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—descend and rest on you all, so that you may become strong and courageous, unshaken by the tribulations of this life, persevering in good conduct and in successful ventures.  Amen.

Beloved expatriated Armenians, after our patriarchal greeting and blessing, I shall now speak with you in a dialect you can understand, lest you blame me, your Hayrig, and complain that you don’t understand the language of poetry.

I know that you have many woes in that foreign land, and you are in need of much consolation and encouragement.  In that distant country, away from the bosom of Mother Armenia, severed from your ancestral hearth, deprived of the comfort of your sweet family life, you seek happiness and consolation.  If only such things were possible, even for just a moment.  But how can they be?  Who can compare the sweetness and happiness of life in one’s native land, with existence in a foreign country, where one feels every minute the bitterness and the misery of life?  Where the language, the natural surroundings, the land and people are foreign.  Where even the climate and the water are strange.

It is the will of a mysterious Providence that our nation should live in exile, as settlers in foreign lands.  Yet that same God has not forgotten the Armenians, or Armenia.  He has protected our people wherever they live, granted them success, and has day by day multiplied their number in the fatherland. May His will be done.

The storm of violence in this world drove the Armenians from their native soil, scattering them to the far corners of the globe.  Only distant America remained unexplored.  But behold!  In recent years Armenians have gathered there as well—and in great numbers.  I am not certain, O Armenians, whether it was the freedom of life in America, or its gold mines, or its wondrous technology and inventions which attracted you.  Perhaps it was simply fate, the destruction of your ancestral abode and your suffering which led you across the limitless span of the sea?

For whatever reason, having already departed and reached your destination, you have now come to comprehend your true situation.  But my fatherly advice to you is this: Know who you are.  The tribulations and calamities of this world are endless.  The frost of winter is followed by life-bearing spring, spring is followed by fruitful summer, and summer is succeeded by autumn, when man harvests the results of his work and stores them in anticipation of yet another winter.  The seasons change.  The world turns.  And the lot of man cannot stay the same.

It may be true that the Armenians have always been persecuted and on the move.  But God has never abandoned us.  As long as the Armenians never forgot their homeland, and their Enlightener’s faith—as long as they never lost their native tongue, and preserved with awe and sanctity their ancestral traditions, and their native respect for family and morality—many of them grew and multiplied in foreign lands.  But many also were lost without trace.  Some preserved their ancestral faith and language, their family life and sacred traditions, and absorbed the arts and sciences of foreigners into their own natural genius.  These grew and multiplied.  Others disposed of their language, forsook their faith, lost their family honor and sacred traditions, adopted from foreigners everything that was destructive and poisonous.  These were led to the abyss of destruction; they fell headlong and disappeared.  Let the experience of the past serve as an example for the future.  And let the wise man remain vigilant, to speak out whenever necessary.

Dear expatriates, remember the instructions our Savior gave to his disciples: This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you [John 15:12].  My command is the same: That you love each other as I love you.  Let this be the sign that you are my children.  If only I had the wings of an eagle, I could dart off and fly to you; I could speak to you and console you in person.  But I am old, and limited by the bonds of mortal flesh, and burdened under many cares.  I can only carry out my obligation to you through a simple letter.

Together with the love exemplified in the Gospel, I bequeath to you the Savior’s peace: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you [John 14:27].  The peace of the world is unstable.  But God’s peace is immortal and gives happiness to mankind.  Live with each other in peace and in love, so that you may preserve your existence in a foreign land where many languages are spoken.  Let your honest way of life and your civilized demeanor gain respect for you in the eyes of the non-Armenians.  Give no one cause to trouble or hate you.  Be of one mind, and of one will in the way you conduct your work and worship of God.  Love your immaculate Mother, the holy catholic Church, which gave birth to you through the holy baptismal font, and nursed you with her pure, unadulterated milk—that is to say, with her true doctrine and simple orthodox teaching, bequeathed to us by the Holy Enlightener and his blessed successors.

Do not be dazzled by the glitter of foreigners, and their eloquent, free-minded sermons.  It should be sufficient to have a poor priest of the Mother Church instruct you through his rustic sermon, teaching you the philanthropy of the Gospel, love for friends, charity for the poor, awe before God, and a patriotic spirit.  Remember that, over the course of many centuries, thousands of fierce tempests and floods have struck our people.  But your Mother Church has remained firm and unshaken on her foundations, elevated from the fray by her spotless faith and sacred calling.  For her foundations were built on rock.

Besides the Church, love and preserve your native tongue, given to you as a gift from heaven.  Whether in their own homeland or in foreign lands—and always in their Church—your fathers and mothers spoke, prayed, sang and wailed in this language.  Bequeath it to your children and heirs, so that it will not be forgotten.  For if you lose your language, you will lose everything.  Stay firm in your ancestral traditions.  Keep yourselves clean and spotless in every aspect of your life.  Stay clear of every kind of addiction which leads man to perdition.  Love marriage and the family, which constitute the foundation of a moral life.  Let life in the New World with all of its splendor and luster not lure you.  Remember that you are expatriates in that foreign land.  Remember that someday, the Lord God will deliver you out of that foreign place—as He did for Israel—and lead you back to your fatherland. Remember that a foreigner is always a stranger.

Make an effort to live together.  Help each other.  Extend a consoling hand to a wretched brother, a fallen friend.  Find a job for the poor and the newcomer.  Help the sick.  Care for orphans and the unfortunate.  Provide them with food and education.  Train them in work.  And in all of your endeavors show that you are the true children of your fathers.

Dear people, having considered these words sufficient, I end my admonitory encyclical and bless you all.  I pray that all disagreements, quarrels and factions may disappear from your midst, and that the spirit of God’s peace and gentleness will prevail.  May you succeed in your undertakings; may you stay clear of all dangers; may you remain firm and unshakable beside your true Mother, the holy catholic Church.  May the Lord God consider all our trials—which have drained our wretched people of their breath and spirit—to have been enough.

O Armenian people: Do not forget to pray for the elderly Hayrig, so that God may give me the strength and ability to carry out the obligations imposed on me.  I in turn will never forget you, nor the manifold needs that you and the Church possess.  My love for my children and for their well-being has placed upon me the sweet obligation to carry out your longtime wish: namely to dispatch to you a high-ranking, able pastor.  Behold!  Providence has once again handed that heavy yoke, the helm of that storm-ridden ship, to an experienced and meritorious captain: namely, His Eminence Bishop Hovsep Sarajian—your first hard-working pastor in that foreign land.  Overcoming great obstacles and hardships, he succeeded in establishing the Enlightener’s faith in that foreign land.  He raised the cross of the Armenians and built an Armenian church.  I saw that he alone was suitable and worthy to be appointed as pastor of America, and for that reason I granted him the sacred episcopal rank in the name of the Armenians in America.

Now you, O expatriate Armenians of America, hearken to the voice of your good pastor.  Follow the steps of your leader.  Carry out his good wishes and listen to his advice: you will see that it is all for your own good and benefit, and you will never stray from the path of truth and happiness.  In consideration of his experience, and his love for his faithful people, we gave him full authority in his position as primate, knowing well that he will not fail our expectations and trust, and will always work for the good of the Church, so that you, dear children, may receive consolation and prosper.  In all matters assist your new primate, particularly in paying the debts for your Holy Saviour Church.  In consideration of your condition, we turned to other compatriots in order to alleviate some of the outstanding debt.  But it is up to you to pay the greater part.  You are the ones who contributed to its construction, and you must make provision to pay the remaining debt.  For the purpose of fundraising, we gave His Eminence Bishop Hovsep a ledger bearing the seal of our name, so that you can sign in it.

Accept the elderly Hayrig’s loving and heartfelt blessing, which I have enclosed in my encyclical.  I am sending this to quench your thirsty and anxious hearts, like heavenly, life-giving dew from Mother Armenia, from snow-capped Massis, from Mt. Arakadz, the place where the Enlightener prayed and rested, from the Araks River, and from Holy Etchmiadzin.

May you be healthy and blessed, successful and comforted, now and forever.  Amen.

Mgrdich I
Catholicos of All Armenians

Issued on July 2, 1898,
The 1347th year of the Armenian era, the fifth year of our pontificate,
From the Araratian Holy See of Etchmiadzin, in Vagharshapat.

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NOTE: A final, interesting issue is raised by Khrimian’s choice of Scriptural quotations.  These are drawn from the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of the Gospel of St. John. A close reading of the encyclical suggests that the Evangelist’s larger context may have influenced Khrimian’s thoughts, providing an architecture for his discussion. In the Gospel passage, Jesus consoles his disciples, promises a “comforter” in the Holy Spirit, draws the comparison between the vine and its branches (suggesting a network of inter-related bodies drawing on a common source, just as the churches of the diaspora received their authority from Etchmiadzin), laments human mortality, warns the disciples that the world will hate them, but assures them their grief will turn to joy. Of course, these are common Christian themes, which would naturally find their way into a document of this sort.

Nevertheless, the Scriptural comparison is instructive. However indistinct the future of the diocese seemed in 1898, Catholicos Khrimian clearly divined that the establishment of a foothold in America was a development of considerable consequence for the Armenian Church and people. It is likely that he composed this encyclical as “scripture” of another variety, which would guide the growth of the community in America, while reminding its people never to stray too far from their Mother Church.

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The translation and commentary above are adapted from The Torch Was Passed: The Centennial History of the Armenian Church of America (St. Vartan Press, 1998), by Christopher H. Zakian.